Friday, July 27, 2012

Friday Faith Builder

Last week two of my daughters (who are
12 and 14 years old) participated in the church’s youth mission
trip to downtown Kansas City. We had reviewed the packing list
several times, and even as we were backing out of the driveway I
said, “You have swimsuits? Shower bag? Bible? Sleeping bag and
pillow? They responded “Yes” to each item—even saying they had
blankets and pillows when I asked about the sleeping bag.

I dropped the girls off at the church
where they would be sleeping, gave them hugs, and headed home.
Twenty minutes later, my phone rang. I knew it was the girls and I
chose not to answer it. However, I listened to their message right
away. “Mom—my sister forgot her swimsuit and I forgot my
sleeping bag and pillow. Can you bring them down to us, please?”

I did not respond. I wanted the girls
to have some time to figure out their situation on their own. Six
hours later, the phone rang again—I answered and heard the same
information—however not the request. I asked, “So what is your
plan?” I was pleased to hear they had one—and it didn’t
involve me bringing anything to them. (They knew better than to ask
me again because my answer would be “No.”)

Sometimes it is hard to let our kids
make mistakes. We want to help them out. We want to protect them.
But they need to learn how to solve problems and do things
differently the next time around. Pray for God’s guidance as you
parent and pray that we all, young or old, can grow from our
mistakes.